


People come and people go, the trouble is that sometimes you don’t know who is meant for you

by cutebutpsyco



Category: Doctor Strange (2016), Iron Man (Movies), Marvel, Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Confessions, Depression, F/M, Fix-It, Holding Hands, M/M, Panic Attacks, Post-Avengers: Endgame (Movie), Spoilers, Stephen Strange Has Issues, Suicidal Thoughts, Survivor Guilt, Tony Stark Has Issues, more warnings in the notes
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-04-27
Updated: 2019-12-20
Packaged: 2020-02-07 11:30:04
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 11
Words: 21,322
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18619747
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/cutebutpsyco/pseuds/cutebutpsyco
Summary: CONTAINS SPOILERS FROM AVENGERS: ENDGAME!If there’s only a single opportunity, Stephen is gonna take it, whatever it takes.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This will be my first fix-it fic. I’d been upset for a lot of things in the canon so this will be my new canon. Not properly pepperony friendly (not bashing either).  
> This is somehow connected with another fic of mine, as in the same headcanons about the Soul Dimension are valid: magic works differently there, whoever died because of the stones (in any way) is now in this orange limbo as I like to imagine it. 
> 
> This will be multichapter because I want to cliffhang people (?) but it’ll be just 3 chapters in total and I hope to finish it within the weekend. 
> 
> As always, nothing belongs to me, title from Upstairs Room by Paul Cock & The Chronicles.

“Uncle Stephen!” The young girl yelled, running inside the Sanctum and grasping at the Sorcerer’s robes. The Cloak, always helpful, scooped her up so that he didn’t have to hold her weight with his broken hands, but, at the same time, he was now forced to looking into whiskey brown eyes so filled with joy and shining with new ideas, and he simply couldn’t bear that glance, knowing he was the reason why she lost her dad. He could feel the sting of tears threatening to spill from his eyes, but pushed them back and tried to smile to her. 

“Hey, smart girl,” He said, his eyes going to Happy who was entering the Sanctum at that moment. 

“Stephen, sorry,” The man said, but everything that he received back was a short shaking of Strange’s head. “When she heard from May that the Guardians and Carol were coming back I couldn’t keep her still.” 

“It’s fine. Peter called Harley too,” Stephen would have never admitted loud, but he was happy of having the teens over. After that Bruce told him about his conversation with the Ancient One in the past he felt lonely and not in control of his actions for reasons he couldn’t quite grasp and Peter seemed to have realized that. So he started to visit the Sanctum more and, after some months, he started to invite Harley over. Stephen was grateful for that. They kept him grounded to reality when Wong wasn’t there and Christine was busy at the Hospital and while he hated the idea of needing a babysitter - especially when said babysitters were at least twenty years younger than he was - he had to admit they did a wonderful job. At the mention of the teens, the smile on Morgan's lips became even wider. “Yeah, you totally came here to meet Uncle Stephen,” He joked, receiving a bone-crushing hug. He smiled, pushing his lips against Morgan’s fluffy hair before telling the Cloak to check that she reached Peter and Harley safely.

Once they were alone, the Sorcerer turned to look at Happy. “How’s Pepper?”

“She… She’s trying to go on,” It wasn’t different from what Strange expected. “But don’t expect her to come to your door anytime soon.”

“She blames me,” He said, and the sadness in his voice wasn’t because he didn’t want her to. She was right, Tony died because of Stephen and in the middle he fell in love with her husband, she had every right to blame him. The few times they spoke, after the funeral, had been because Morgan adopted Stephen as her Uncle, and it was clear that she wasn’t pleased about that. “I blame me.”

“You did what you had to,” Happy answered, and he couldn’t or wouldn’t, or didn’t want to understand that he made a choice. Between millions of choices. He chose the one who brought Tony to die. It was the only way to preserve the world as they knew it, but Stephen had no right to put Tony through that. “She’ll need time, but she will understand.”

Stephen wanted to tell something, he wanted to tell the other man that she understood other things, that she saw in his eyes his feelings for the man they last time they spoke, that time couldn’t change anything, but, at that moment, a rainbow light started to shine in the middle of the Sanctum and Thor walked into the foyer. 

And while everyone was sure that he would have killed Quill sooner than later, he seemed to be the one totally broken. Bruce told Stephen how he and Rocked found him in New Asgard and while he didn’t look drunk, at that moment, it was clear that he wasn’t anywhere near to be fine. 

He stepped toward the Sorcerer and took him for the neck, slamming Stephen against the wall at his back and having Happy moving closer. The man wouldn’t ever back off from protecting the people he considered his friends, and Stephen was glad to be one of those, though he didn’t want for the bodyguard to get hurt by a god. He didn’t move, even if he could have used his magic to push him away what was necessary to breathe again. The last thing he wanted to do was to fight the God of Thunder, especially knowing the kids were upstairs. 

“You can bring them back!” The god yelled, and Stephen could smell alcohol in his breath. His stillness had Thor open his hand and letting Stephen go, the sensation of air entering his lungs again vaguely overwhelming. “Do it!”

“I don’t…” Stephen tried to answer, massaging his throat. He was bent over an armchair and Happy was immediately at his side trying to help him stand, but his mind was like mud. He had no idea what Thor was speaking about. He knew, very likely, who he was referring to, but bring them back was impossible. That was another thing Bruce told him during one of their lab meetings. “I don’t know what you are speaking about. I can’t bring them back, believe me, I tried.”

Over and over again, despite Wong trying to tell him not to, despite Christine having physically to bring him back from an astral projection induced coma. He tried over and over again. But there were no ways to bring them back and now that Thor was telling him those words, he was digging deep wounds in his chest. Thor’s uneven eyes raised on Stephen, and there wasn’t only desperation and sorrow in them. There was a faint light of hope. 

“That’s not true. I… Dreamed Loki’s dreams,” He tried to explain, and while Stephen could tell that Happy’s face was the portrait of surprise, what the god said could make some sort of sense. “He told me the annoying sorcerer of the Earth could help him, the Man of Iron, the creepy assassin and the creepy green woman.”

Stephen looked at him, an eyebrow crocked up and his scepticism evident in his steel-blue eyes, though he couldn’t deny that what he said sounded very much as something Loki would tell. “And did he told you how I should do this?”

Thor shook his head. “He just interrupted my dreams, told me that and then disappeared.”

Stephen nodded. Of course, the God of Mischief would so something like that the time he dreamwalked into his brother’s dreams. He ran a hand in his hair, trying not to think about that. He knew it was possible. The Infinity Stones worked in a very different way from every law of physic. They weren’t made to be held by humankind and, being entities as old as the universe itself, their idea of death was different. 

As just as their idea of magic. Stephen’s magic didn’t work in the Soul Dimension, using it to bring everyone back to the Compound almost drained him and he was able to take part to the last battle just because of his stubbornness. Willing going there was a suicidal mission, but if he could find a way to bring Tony, Natasha, Gamora and even Loki back, he would. 

He had no part in Gamora and Loki’s death but Tony and Nat’s was on him, and him alone. He should have been the one dying, and he would have if that was a possibility. It wasn’t: the futures in which he took the Gauntlet didn’t bring to the Avengers’ victory. Because he wasn’t strong enough. He had to try another way, something he hadn’t seen. He didn’t go so far while looking into all the futures, but he couldn’t let an option unturned. 

“I want to try something,” He said, looking both at Thor and Happy. “If there’s an opportunity that what Loki said is true - I need to speak with your brother.”

Thor’s glance was questioning for an instant, then he nodded and Strange couldn’t say if he understood what the Sorcerer meant. “How do you want to do it?”

“As he did: dreamwalking, if you’d let me.” He explained. “If your dreams are the connection Loki has to this dimension, I’ll use the same channel to try and reach for him. I can’t tell you if it’ll work, but it’s worth a try.”

This time, the god seemed to realize what Strange implied. “I’ll let you. Tony and Bruce trust you, my brother trusts you, and Mjolnir likes your cape.” 

Stephen didn’t really need to know what kind of relationship his Cloak had with Thor’s hammer, but, again, he was thinking about a Cloak and a hammer having a sort of relationship so he couldn’t be picky over Thor’s choice of words. He just moved his eyes to Happy before speaking again: “Bring Morgan and the boys to Rhodey’s, I’ll let Carol a message to land there, she’ll tell the Guardians as well. If you want, I’ll open a portal for you.” 

“Doc, are you sure you can do this?” He was clearly worried, and Stephen suspected that Wong was somehow implied in that behaviour. Rhodey witnessed one of his outbursts, once, when Stephen tried to turn time back just for Tony and Natasha and it didn’t work. Their souls weren’t there, and they didn’t really have a body for Nat. That was just before Christine moved to the Sanctum and took a week off work. He hated how codependent he had become with his best friend and pushed her away, again. This time, though, it didn’t work as well as the first time and she kicked his ass out of the Sanctum for the first time since the last battle. 

“It won’t be the first time I dreamwalk. It’s a common practice in Kamar-Taj,” He said, pretending to ignore the fact that he knew Happy’s question was a different one. The man’s expression became more stern, but he said nothing and started to walk toward the great staircase to reach the room where Morgan was with Peter and Harley. Some moments later, the four of them were descending again, ready to leave for Rhodey’s place. 

“Dr Strange,” Harley called him. Stephen had already opened the portal, letting Peter, a giggling Morgan and a still not so comfortable Happy to walk through. He didn’t even realize the boy from Tennessee was still there. “I didn’t mean to eavesdrop, but Morgan was playing hide and seek with Cloakie, and it got stuck somewhere in the threshold, so I went to help it and I heard what Thor said. We’d all like having Tony back, but we don’t want to lose you either.” 

“You won’t,” Stephen knew he wasn’t in the position to make any promises, but Harley had never been good with words and feelings, and seeing him at that moment, light eyes filled with the gleam of tears and broken-voiced was worse than being stabbed in the chest. He let his hand fall in Keener’s messy hair and smiled, softly. “I’m not leaving you alone with mess one and mess two.”

“You still have to meet the greatest mess of them all, my sister!” He answered, wearing a grind that reminded Stephen of Tony’s, before jumping into the portal. When Stephen became good with kids, he still didn’t know, but, apparently, he did. 

The moment the portal was close, Stephen turned to look at the Cloak. “You didn’t get stuck in the door, did you?”

It raised its collar, barely bowing it like it was trying to say that he didn’t know and wouldn’t speak about it. Stephen nodded. He had suspected that but wasn’t going to bring that up. He knew the boys were worried about him, and while he hated that, there wasn’t something he could do. Telling them to stop to worry had already proved to be useless. At that point, he could as well accept the fact that Tony’s kids adopted him as their next mentor. It was flattering, from a point of view, and extremely sad from another. They wouldn’t need a new mentor if he made different choices. He killed Tony and he didn’t deserve what life gave him back. 

Which was why he needed to try Thor’s idea. He looked at the man before pointing to the stairs. “Let’s go upstairs, I’ll need to put you to sleep if we want to try this.”


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Stephen dreamwalks into Thor’s dream, meet Loki and has a very pleasant surprise from someone he didn’t expect to meet.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I’m so glad you are liking this! I might add a fourth chapter because this is most chatting with the gods, but it’s useful for the plot.   
> A lot of you in the comments asked if this will have a happy ending. Don’t worry, the answer is yes! They’ll just go through a lot of suffering before. 
> 
> Mentions of depression, angst-ish. 
> 
> Next chapter will be up, hopefully, tonight!

Thor’s dreams were filled with what seemed to be the things he saw in Asgard and the new discoveries he made on Earth. The god was walking for the green planes of New Asgard filled with golden palaces and shining shores. The people seemed happy but Stephen could feel discomfort and insecurities coming from the dreamer and he wondered if also Thor felt guilty for having survived, or maybe it was because he left his people, didn’t matter how much he trusted Val and Sif to be good queens and leaders. The Sorcerer could understand him. In the darkest periods after the defeat of Thanos he just couldn’t be the guide of Kamar-Taj and left that title to Wong. The man never made him feel guilty, but Strange couldn’t deny that he was.   
He had duties toward the Sorcerers, and leaving them alone while sulking in his own sadness wasn’t among those. 

He tried not to think about how Christine forced him to see a therapist. He didn’t need one, appointments take time away to his research for a way to bring them back. And while he knew that he needed help, a part of him just couldn’t accept that before everything was back as it had to. He couldn’t because there still were people who needed to be saved, and then he could think about himself if there was time to. 

He tried to ignore that. Tried to focus on Thor and his dream, to look for Loki’s presence while he followed the dreamily for of the God of Thunder. It didn’t take long for him to find the black-haired man. Loki was seated on some kind of throne in the middle of a golden field - Stephen couldn’t stay it was pure gold or flowers, not that he cared - and was sipping for a glass something as if he was waiting for them. 

“I didn’t expect you so early, brother,” He said, the moment Thor reached his sight field. “And you are not alone.” 

Stephen had to fight against the physical need to roll his eyes. Thor seemed happy enough to meet his brother again, or maybe he was way too sure that the Sorcerer could actually help the ones who were gone. Stephen and Bruce bonded a lot, after the Final Battle in the Compound, and the latter told Strange that since the small goodbye ceremony they did for Nat he thought there was a way to bring them back. The Avengers didn’t let him try, thinking that it was his pain that spoke, instead of his knowledge. Possibly, it was true, but now it seemed like the god had always been right. 

“How can I help you, Sorcerer?” Loki asked, and it was clear that whatever answer Stephen would have provided wasn’t for free. Stephen smirked, at the idea of what he was going to offer.

“I think I am the one who can help you,” He said, instead of every salty retort he could think about. “Thor told me there’s a way to bring you and the others who died in the war against Thanos back to life. I need to know how.”

He didn’t ask if it was true. A part of him knew that it could have been another lie from the god, but Loki never did anything without gaining something for it, and he really loved his brother. He wouldn’t ever tell him there was a way to have them reunited if it wasn’t true. Loki stood, walking closer to Stephen and ignoring Thor’s looming silhouette. “Why should I tell you? So that you can bring Tony Stark and the assassin women back and let me here alone?”

“He wouldn’t, brother,” Thor piped up. “He had lost as much as I did.”

And Stephen wanted to reply to that, telling him it wasn’t true, but he couldn’t. Because he knew that if he wanted to know something from the god, he must give him something. And what was harder was admitting it to himself. It took forever, to Stephen. Partially because he had never been good with feeling and partially because he wasn’t the kind of man to fall in love with someone, especially when said someone was a married man he had known for some hours and saw dying and dying again in so many reality. 

He didn’t want to admit it, first to himself and then to everyone else. He couldn’t, because Tony was dead because of him, he let a young girl living without her father, he was the reason why Happy and her mother kept fighting, he couldn’t admit that he would have wracked a family because of something so stupid. Something that was as far as possible from his duties as Supreme Sorcerer. He didn’t deserve the life he’d been given, that second chance that brought anything but death and pain. His role was different. He was meant to face creatures from different dimensions and to protect the Earth. He couldn’t fall in love with some intelligent, smart, snarky and attractive superhero. The only thing that could happen was for them to die. 

He looked at Thor who was smiling at his brother and only then realized that the gods were speaking, unconscious of the mess of Stephen’s thoughts. He stepped closer, noting how the dream seemed to be peaceful around them. It was unusual, but that was also the first time he dreamwalked into the dreams of a god and an alien. 

“Your brother is right,” He said, and from the tone of his voice, it almost seemed he was giving up to some kind of confession he didn’t want to voice. 

Loki’s lips curled up in a wicked smile and he leaned closer to Stephen. “He doesn’t blame you,” He said. “He thinks you are a fool because you believed he would have done the selfless thing, but he doesn’t blame you.”

“Stay away from my mind!” The Sorcerer snapped. Thor moved close to his brother and Stephen couldn’t say if it was to protect him or the god.   
Strange would never attack someone in a third person’s dream, but he wasn’t so sure about Loki. But, again, the Asgardian needed him. 

“It wasn’t your mind I was looking into,” He said, completely calm and collected. “You have extremely expressive eyes, for someone who wants to pretend so stoic and cold.” 

“How do I bring you back?” Stephen asked again, this time more peremptorily. “Magic doesn’t work in the Soul Dimension.”

“Yours does, Sorcerer Supreme,” Stephen wanted to punch him. But he knew that could do good to anyone. “And mine too, but I can’t bring them out. How can you free others from your own prison?” 

“So all I have to do is simply portal you out?” Strange knew it wasn’t so easy, but he had to ask. 

“That’ll be convenient,” Loki giggled. “But nope. Good news, it won’t require sacrifice, this time. None but probably lose your soul in the mean-“

“I don’t care, if I still have a soul, it’s worthless,” Stephen interrupted. “Tell me!”

He could feel Thor’s mind starting to snap back to awareness. He couldn’t be sure about how long they stayed there, the time in dreams worked differently. And he was well aware that Loki could tell that as well. The god stepped closer, placing a cold hand against Strange’s cheek. Thor stilled, uneven eyes opened in surprise when his brother pushed his lips against the Sorcerer’s mouth. Stephen didn’t care if that was the way to bring Tony back he would have kissed every Asgardian who ever walked under the sun. 

What he didn’t expect was the clear images of what he had to do next to appear in his mind after that kiss, and then something moving immediately to push Loki away from him. It wasn’t Thor, he still seemed to try to find a reason for his brother's behaviour, and it wasn’t, of course, the other god. And when he dared to look up to understand what was going on, ready to fight against every dark identity that decided to share Thor’s dreams, he found only wide whiskey brown eyes and a destroyed face he had seen so many times on Titan. 

“I said no kissing, drama queen,” Tony said, with a tired but still soft smile all for Stephen. “Hey.”

“Hey,” Was the only thing Stephen was able to say. “Morgan is happy, she misses you so much, though.”

Tony nodded, waiting for Stephen to speak again. “Peter and Harley too. Harley moved to New York, he’s going to MIT next year, Peter took a year off.”

“Stephen,” Tony whispered, his image was becoming more and more ghostly, just as Loki’s and the landscape around them and all Stephen hoped for was to Thor to sleep a little bit longer. “How are you?” 

“I’m going to bring you back,” He said, and his voice died along with the last golden sparkles from the god’s dream.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Stephen ponders the next move, even if this puts him in front of a choice he'd never wanted to do.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know I said this was going to have a few chapters, and it probably will, the problem is that I found myself with more plot in my mind that I've originally planned, and I don't want to post super long chapters so, for now, the number of those will be secret. I don't know myself. 
> 
> New warning in this: no Pepper friendly. I mean, this fic is written from Stephen's point of view and from the first chapter you could understand that he isn't in the best relationship ever with her, now she shows up and things happened. 
> 
> I've also decided that Happy and Pepper got together after Endgame and that this is set a year and a half after the movie end. I might have a sweet spot for Morgan and Stephen being super-close and it totally shows.

Going back from dreamwalking, for Stephen, had never been hard. The simple fact that he tended to use astral projection too much to learn everything he could make him easy to slip into the dreaming plan of existence and going back in his body once the dream was over. That time, though, it was proving to be harder, because he didn’t just know how to save the people he had to, but, somehow, Tony was there. 

It would have been impossible, at least Loki cast the dreamwalking spell on all the four of them and they decided to stay back and watch. Which was doable, with an enormous use of magic. And considering that they were in a dimension where magic didn’t work, Stephen couldn’t understand why Loki should do it. Though that wasn’t the most concerning thought in the Sorcerer’s mind. That was Tony’s kindness and sweet smile, it was the way he was trying to pretend he didn’t felt anything for him and how he kept falling every instant more with the idea of the man. It was how he appeared in Thor’s dream. Those were taunting thoughts that threatened to mislead the Sorcerer, especially now that he knew how to save everyone. 

He wanted to linger with his astral form into the god’s mind in hope to catch a glimpse more of the man. He shook his head: that was impossible and dangerous. Maybe if it didn’t work - maybe in that eventually he could have, but not now. He could feel Thor’s uneven breathing and knew that the god was waking up. Stephen turned to look at him. He knew that the dreamer could experience nausea after a dreamwalking session, but Thor seemed to feel extremely well. 

Maybe it was because he wasn’t human or because he grew used to the feeling because of the amount of alcohol he had drunk in the past. He was sitting back on the mattress, a hand running through his blond long hair. “So, what are we going to do?”

Stephen stilled steel-blue eyes on the god. He knew what he had to do, and still, he wasn’t sure that it was the right thing to do. He wanted to bring them back, he wanted to do the right thing even if he was possible for the wrong reason. Though, he couldn’t simply ignore the fact that he knew how to bring them back. The point was that Loki didn’t tell him, or maybe he didn’t know, which was the real price of what he was asking for.

Stephen raised from the lotus position in which he forced his body and then moved to face the god. “It’s not that easy,” The Sorcerer explained. “What Loki didn’t mention is that my soul is the one in danger, but I can’t do it alone.”

That was enough for the god to step on his feet, one hand extended to call his hammer and the other ready to fight something that wasn’t there for real. “I’ll help you in the quest to save our loved ones.”

“I’ll need your help,” Stephen confirmed, and he hated every single word of what he told after. “It’s not that simple, though. The rules of the soul dimensions are extremely complex. To enter and to exit without the help of the Infinity Stones is almost impossible, though, apparently, your brother found a way to bring them back without any sacrifice,” It wasn’t true, not completely. Loki had been very clear about that and the images he projected in his mind made clear how he was right. Bring people back from that different dimension wasn’t something easy, and it required a price. But Stephen didn’t have any problem in giving up his soul if it was for the lives of so much more and more valiant people. “The souls who had been prisoners in the soul dimensions need someone to walk them through the gates to our world. A bond for each soul, and it must be the closest to them.”

Stephen knew that the god understood the moment he nodded and turned to look at some point of the guest's room in which he was sleeping a moment before. “I can be that person for Loki, and I’m sure Nebula will be Gamora’s,” He started, moving around the room as if he was trying to open a portal in the middle of the Sanctum with his steps. “But Natasha and Stark don’t have relatives.”

Stephen shook his head. Thor was right, about Loki and Gamora, but what he was thinking about was terrible, and dangerous, and yet the only way to bring them back. “Romanoff doesn’t have any known relatives, you are right, but I’m sure the bond she has with Clint will be enough. While for Tony, he does have someone very close to him, both because of their blood and because of their souls.”

Stephen hated even proposing that idea, and he hated, even more, the fact that Thor understood immediately whom he was thinking about. “Morgan?” He asked, and the only thing Stephen could do was to nod. He couldn’t bring a child into that. It was safe, theoretically, but there were hundreds of ways in which that could go wrong. 

“But I can’t ask this either to her or to Pepper,” He answered. He couldn’t and he didn’t even want to. He was the first person who wanted to bring everyone back, he wanted to see Morgan’s happy smile light up her eyes and wanted to see her and his dad working on something in the lab while Peter chatted about his day and Harley pretended he didn’t care about the mess around him. The little girl deserved to grow up with her dad by her side, but he couldn’t put her life in danger in order to obtain that future. It would have been pointless and useless. Both could die and the everything Stephen had to lie with was pain and guilt. He couldn’t ask anyone something like that, even if he was afraid of which the answer could have been. “I can’t do that, Thor. I can bring back everyone else, but Tony -”

“You can go yourself,” The god answered. “Morgan is close to you, maybe you can transfer the bond from her to you, and that will be enough to help Tony.”

“It doesn’t work like that,” Stephen answered. He wished it was that simple. He wished he could ask for help to Wong or looking in some book in Kamar-Taj, but he couldn’t. What he was going to do couldn’t be out in the sun. All he had was the ritual Loki showed him and the words of the spell in the deeps of his mind. “Not even Rhodey or Peter or Harley can do that because Morgan’s bond will still be stronger. I don’t even have a personal relationship with Tony, we just meet twice.”

“It’s not about how many times you meet a person, Stephen,” Thor replied, and while that was the last thing Strange wanted to speak about with a god, he was glad that he was trying to bring him away from thinking about the idea of bringing a girl into the Soul Dimension. “I met Jame from Earth few times before we got into a relationship “

“And look how well it worked out,” Stephen couldn’t help but say. 

“Yeah, I know, not the best example, but I loved her - Thor smiled one of his bright smiles. - My friends Valkyrie and Sif met at the end of the world, and now they rule over New Asgard.”

“I want to be there when you’ll tell this to your brother,” Stephen said. “But I can’t see how this can help us now. It won’t work, believe me.”

It was stupid, even hoping in a possibility of meeting a living Tony once again. He was this close and then so far and he simply couldn’t ask that much. Pepper blamed her husband’s death on him, he couldn’t ask her to put in danger also their daughter. He couldn’t even ask Happy to, because the man would have felt the same guiltiness whatever his choice was going to be. But there was no other way and Stephen was starting to hate those words. 

“We had better ask Clint and Nebula if they want to,” He decided, while he already knew the answer. It was better to pretend that he wasn’t considering the option of bringing Morgan thought that all without even blinking his eyes. He wasn’t. Stephen didn’t want to, but they all deserved happiness. Thor nodded, and a moment later he was gone, probably looking for said people. 

**

“Happy, Pepper, I know I’m the last person who can ask you this, but Loki found a way to bring them back,” Stephen stopped, looking at the figure in front of him. “I know what are you thinking about, Loki is dead, but the truth is that he’s not. I met him in the Soul Dimension, ask Peter if you don’t trust me. - He breathed, trying to go back to the previous argument. - Anyway, there’s a way to bring them back, I can do it, but I need someone who’s soul bonded with everyone we want to bring back. There’s Thor, Clint and Nebula and…”

“I’ll do it,” Pepper answered. Her tone was glacial and Stephen couldn’t really be angry with her. He showed up to their place after Thor came back from Rhodey’s house with Nebula and the two aliens went to bring Clint back in action. Surprising, Lila Barton followed her father and she, Peter and Harley were suited up. Christine “passed by after work”, which Stephen suspected was way less casual that she made it sound. Strange couldn’t have Wong as a backup, but he was going to have all the help three young superheroes and one of the best doctors Stephen knew could provide. He hated that, but Thor’s action forced his hand on that. “We were married, this is a bond strong enough and I still have the suit.”

The suit that could have stopped the water that Ebony Maw reversed over them if only she took time to learn how to use it, the suit that she worn to join them, the suit from which Stephen her calling for help with something that anyone could stop. He went to help her and couldn’t save Tony. He could have if only she knew how to use the suit! Pepper blamed him, and Strange knew she was right, but he spent a lot of time blaming everyone else. And when he saw Pepper on the field creating a barrier against some fire attack he understood that she could have done the same that day. 

“Weird, I thought you would have destroyed that the moment the fight was over,” He answered, bitterly. “Apparently having people who write letters to you and draw of you in the Rescue Suit is more appealing, now.” 

He saw Pepper tensing, but she was a woman, in everything, and didn’t react. Stephen hated himself for that low blow more than her for the lack of a reaction. “And even if, it won’t work. The bond must be stronger, and you remarried.”

“You mean Morgan, don’t you?” Happy asked out of nowhere. “The stronger bond between souls, you mean her.” 

Strange didn’t know how to answer, he didn’t have any word for that question but he suspected he didn’t even need words. Pepper stood, her light eyes piercing through Stephen. “And that’s where you leave!” 

Stephen nodded, once. That was the answer he expected to receive, but he had to try. “I understand.”

“No, you don’t,” Pepper retorted. “I knew I was going to lose him over some threat, I knew and that’s why I tried to stop him. But not for some kind of weird wizard who spared him just to have him die when he was happy! That, Strange, that’s why this will be the last time you hear from me, from my husband or from my daughter.” 

_I could have saved him if only Wong was closer if only she took two seconds to understand how the suit works_ He though, but the only thing he did instead was get up from the couch he was seated on and walking toward the door. Just to bump into Morgan.

“Uncle,” She said, and there was sadness in her voice. “This won’t be the last time I see you. Peter taught me how to sneak out.” 

Apparently, Tony’s kids seemed to have in common also the lack of respect for private conversations, he smiled, trying not to think about his failure. “I’m sure he did, but you don’t have to. If this is what your mom thinks is the best, you should listen to her, okay?” 

“But what if it’s not? What if she’s possessed by some sort of demon? Then I should do the opposite of what she says!,” God, Stephen loved that girl. She definitely learnt something from Harley, Peter, Carol and Val, and he didn’t even want to think about what could happen to leave her with Nat and Lila. Or Tony, no, he couldn’t think about that. “I don’t want to never see you again. I love you tons!”

Stephen smiled, ruffling Morgan’s hair. “She’s not a demon, smart girl, she’s just worried for you. And I love you 3000.”

It was painful for both, Stephen knew that those were the last words she heard from her dad and the Sorcerer has no right to use them, but he was anyway because those never failed to put a soft smile on her lips. At that moment Friday’s voice piped up: “Dr Potter, Mr Hogan is coming in your way.”

“I have to go -” he started, just to be interrupted a moment later when Happy appeared in the foyer. 

“Stephen, wait,” He said, stopping the first sparkles from a portal to open on the door. “Pepper is worried, and I can understand why, I can’t make her change her mind, believe me, I tried, a lot of times, but if there’s anything I can do. He was my boss, but most of all, he was my friend, and if there’s even the tiniest possibility to bring him back…”

Stephen was grateful for Happy’s friendship, but the man should know better, by now, because Morgan’s eyes widened at that. “Wait, you can bring dad back?”

“No way,” Stephen said, the exact moment Happy answered: “There might be a chance.”

Morgan was six and half, though, at that moment she reminded Stephen of Christine determinate glance the moment she entered Metro General, almost fifteen years prior. Determined, full of trust, and terribly sure of being able to do whatever she put her mind in. She also had her hands on her hips. “And then, sir, why are you speaking with a boring girl?” 

“Morgan Maria Peggy Stark,” He said, and could clearly hear the sound of the face that Happy può out. It was the _if he’s using your complete name it must be serious_ face.   
And, for once, Morgan didn’t reply with the usual Doctor Stephen Vincent Strange, Master of the Mystic Arts, Sorcerer Supreme, Master of the New York Sanctum, Protector of the Time Stone, Personal Human of the Cloak of Levitation its Highness of Sassiness - the Cloak seemed to like that title very much - and best uncle in the world as she always did. She simply looked at him with a raised eyebrow. “I don’t know a lot about kids, but I know a lot about boring, and you are everything but that.” 

Morgan smiled more widely, and then her eyes trailed back again on Happy before going back on Stephen’s face. “So, why are you still there?”

“I am here because…” Stephen started. He knew he could explain Morgan that he couldn’t decide for other people’s lives, he couldn’t play with death and hoping to bring someone else losing a person who still had so many years of life in front of them. He couldn’t, he didn’t have any right to, and he did it with Tony and that was enough. 

“He needs your help,” Happy said, instead, and once Stephen turned to look at him, knowing that he was questioning the man, the bodyguard explained: “Pepper will be at SI all day long. I understand her, I know she’s concerned about Morgan’s safety and so am I, but if there’s a chance, just one, to bring Tony back, you had to try.”

“Thank you,” Stephen whispered, starting to open again the portal for the Sanctum before turning to look at Morgan. “I won’t lie to you, you are smart enough to understand when someone isn’t telling the truth and I don’t want to. I need your help to bring Tony back, but it’s dangerous. The choice is yours and you have to know your mother doesn’t approve this.”

“Mom doesn’t approve you to be around me,” She answered, honest just like only kids can be. “And while I really love Happy, he’s not my ad and will never be. I want my daddy back, Uncle.”

Stephen nodded, trying not to seem too heartbroken. “Ok, stay close to me, then.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> From the next chapter:
> 
> _-You gave my daughter a gun?_
> 
> _-She just used it to save your ass, Stark, so you're very welcome!_


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Soul Dimension team is on the rescue. And Stephen understands which is the real prize he has to pay to safe the people who are gone.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A super long chapter, I'm sorry but I had to write the battle scene even if it's my first one. Also, I'm totally in love with Uncle Stephen and it shows

Having all those people bunked up in his bedroom in the Sanctum was weird at best, but there they were. Clint, checking on both his and Lila’s compound bow; Nebula seated on an armchair, her dark glance fixed in front of her, waiting; Thor, Stormbreaker in one hand and Mjolnir in the other; Christine with her doctor bag; Peter in the Iron Spider suit; Harley with the suitcase which contained his Iron Lad armour; Lila in her father’s colours and full archery gear. And Morgan, by his side, her fingers playing with a protective necklace Stephen gave her as a birthday present. Stephen shook his head. They were going into the Soul Dimension, take the people trapped there and leave, nothing more. Everything was going to be okay. 

“Ok,” Stephen said, letting his eyes run on everyone. “We’ll be in and out in a few minutes. Whatever happens or you see on the other side remember: get the person you are here for and go back to the portal.”

“It’s like in Harry Potter,” Harley said, causing Christine to laugh and confused glance by everyone but Clint. 

“Come on, guys, the Globet of Fire, the second proof, the one in the lake,” The archer said raising his hands in defeat when no-one seemed to understand the reference. “Ok, ok, we are having some movie night once we are back! Please, Dumbledore, proceed.”

“The spell will let you bring your weapons on the other side, there shouldn’t be any threat, but we are opening a portal to a different dimension and the danger is always behind the corner,” His steel-blue eyes went on the younger heroes. “If something that isn’t us start to appear, you web them and you place an arrow between their eyes. First shoot and then ask. Harley, you protect Christine. And yes, it’s because he’s the tallest,” Stephen stopped for a moment, focusing on his best friend unspoken question. He knew the doctor well enough and she would ask him about Morgan, later, but she also understood that it wasn’t either the moment and the place where do it. “Remember that you can be killed there, even if we will be on the astral plane,” Stephen tried not to notice Lila tensing, her eyes running on her father all while the Sorcerer was avoiding to look at Morgan. He moved his hands, wrapping the young girl in golden and red robes before turning to look the others. “Is everyone ready?”

He waited for everyone in the room to nod before turning to look at the Cloak. “Check that nobody gets in, would you?”

A moment later, he dared to look at the ones who were going to be his companions in the journey in the Soul Dimension. Clint pulled Lila in a hug, Thor and Nebula were speaking about something at which Stephen didn’t pay attention to, and Morgan was now by his side, her fingers in Stephen’s hand while she was softly smiling to Harley and Peter. Stephen really hoped he wasn’t going to let her down. He couldn’t bear the idea. She was trusting him, she was leaving her life in his hands and Stephen wouldn’t ever forgive himself if things went south. 

“When you are ready,” He said, looking to everyone and indicating the bed. The three adults climbed on it, letting enough space to the feet for Morgan to crawled on and only once they were ready, Stephen spoke again: “I’m going to push your souls out of your bodies, and then I’ll join you on the astral plane. The portal will be the last thing, but once you saw my projection follow me.”

He tried to ignore the fact that his hands were shaking worse than ever. He knew, deeply, that it wasn’t just because of the nerves damage. He must maintain his coldness, at that moment more than in every other, though he knew that it would have been difficult. With rapid movements of his hands, the Sorcerer Supreme cast to astral projections of the people on his bed out of their bodies and then assumed the lotus position, letting his own leaving the physical dimension. He could see the faces of the teens who stayed back. Christine had already seen him leaving his body a lot of times, which meant that she wasn’t too surprised, but the others were staring open-mouthed to the apparently lifeless bodies in the bed. 

He shook his head, watching at the four ghostlike figures which were waiting for him. They all but Morgan were still keeping their weapons so he simply nodded to them before speaking briefly: “My powers aren’t as strong as here in the Soul Dimension, which means that I must leave the portal open. As I said before, you get in and get out, they are waiting for us.”

And that was the last thing he said before opening the portal.

The Soul Dimension was just like Stephen remembered. And infinite orange desert similar to itself in every inch of it. Simply looking at it was frustrating and while he knew he was the only one who had ever seen it, it felt like an unpleasant flashback. The low buzzing from the magic presence reached his hands, not strong enough to be actually used. 

“We are corporeal, there,” Nebula said, interrupting his thoughts. The woman was looking at her skin, blue again in the orange hues of the dull landscape. 

“Let’s find the other,” That was Clint and, a moment later, Stephen heard the sound of an arrow getting ready. “I don’t like there.”

“Yeah, Loki knows we are coming, he is probably monitoring where you opened the portal,” Thor confirmed, moving in a vague direction, trying, at the same time, not to go too far from the portal. It wasn’t needed, because the moment they all started to walk following the God of Thunder, Thor’s brother appeared out of nowhere. 

“Brother, Sorcerer, humans,” He said, and, despite everything, Stephen couldn’t help but pushed Morgan behind his body, summoning golden shield around his hands. Clint’s arrow flew toward the God of Mischief just to be jerked a moment before it could hit Loki. 

That stopped everyone where they stood, just to see the tension leaving everyone’s body the moment Thor started to laugh, uneven eyes fixed on his brother. “Where are the others, Loki? The Sorcerer of Midgard told us we have to take you and leave immediately.”

Loki nodded, moving to his side so that he could let the group see what there was in front of them. Again, Stephen wished to be anywhere but there. It was the place that symbolized his double failure, the first because he gave up the Time Stone and then because he stopped to look into every possible future, having two people more dying because of him. He couldn’t be there, not without memories of his staying starting to appear in the deeps of his mind. He ran a hand in his hair, feeling Clint, Nebula and Thor following immediately the dark-haired Asgardian. And then a little hand reached for his shaking one. “Are you okay?”

Stephen lowered his eyes, finding himself to look into wide and worried chocolate brown eyes. Morgan was clearly anxious at the idea of meeting again her dad but still stayed back because she was worried for Stephen and because he told her to stay by his side. 

“Yes,” He smiled, he didn’t sound convincing at all, but it didn’t matter especially because at that moment he saw a well-known shadow approaching and Morgan’s smile became even wider. 

“Hey,” Tony Stark said, looking straight at Stephen’s face, before bowing to raise his daughter in his arms. Morgan hugged him with one arm, without letting go on Stephen’s hand. 

“Hey,” The Sorcerer repeated, without exactly know what he had to say. He couldn’t even understand why Tony was smiling at him if not because he didn’t want to yell when Morgan was in the proximity. He was stuck in the Soul Dimension because of Stephen; the Sorcerer was the person who condemned him, who chose that Stark’s life should be ended, who forced the man to give up to his life and his family. Tony should be angry with him, not smiling and giggling like he didn’t wait for anything different. Strange simply couldn’t keep it for himself: “Why are you laughing?”

Without letting go on Morgan, Tony raised his eyes so that he was looking at Stephen again instead of his and his daughter’s still joined hands. “You and I really should stop to meet like that.”

“You two should really stop to flirt like that,” Came, from, out of everyone else, Nebula. Apparently, her meeting with her sister had been extremely shorter than everyone else’s. “Shouldn’t we get them and go back?”

Stephen nodded. He knew that they could wait some other minutes, but the alien was right, the faster they’d go out of it, the better. He let go on Morgan’s hand and waited for Tony to put her back before indicating the portal not so far from where they were. Stephen couldn’t help but bring his eyes away from Tony’s, despite the fact that he should call the other to go back, despite everything, he simply couldn’t and while it was clear that the man was trying to hide his tears from having seen again his daughter he couldn’t neither understand why Tony wasn’t coursing him. No, the man was simply smiling both at Morgan and Stephen, content with seeing the young girl. And then Loki spoke again.

“Strange, did you bring some friend along with you?” The god asked, turning toward the opposite side from where the portal was. It took half a second for Stephen’s fingers to register the new presence, a magical one, coming in their direction. 

“That’s not me,” Stephen answered, his eyes looking the void in front of him, just where Loki’s were fixed. He moved again, so that he was in front of Morgan, and, just at that moment, the orange sand from the Soul Dimension started to assume the shape of something at which Stephen couldn’t give a name. “Go through the portal, now!”

He didn’t manage to finish the sentence that something hit Thor by Stephen’s side, rapidly followed by the sparkles from the thunder coming from the god. With his peripheral, the Sorcerer could see an Iron Man suit starting to form around Tony’s body.

“What the hell is that?” Natasha asked. Her jade eyes were looking straight to what seemed to be the creature’s eyes, two deep and darker spots into the dark orange sand of which it seemed to be made. Stephen couldn’t say how big it was, but it seemed like some sort of figure that was starting to take for out of the very essence of the Soul Dimension. 

“I think we woke up the keeper of this dimension,” Loki answered, summoning a knife out of thin air. “If I were you, I’d follow Strange’s advice.”

“Well, there might be a problem with that too,” Clint said, and when Stephen turned he realized him and Gamora were keeping back what looked to be some sort of skeletons made of fire. The newcomers seemed to be exactly between them and the portal. 

“We can try to open a way through them,” The green-skinned alien said, turning on herself and managing to cut off the head of one of the skeletons. Stephen nodded. He knew he should use ad few magic as he can, but holding a magical sword would require it even more. His hands were hurting and shaking. He breathed, his steel-blue eyes going analytically to surveil everything. Thor, Loki, Tony and Nat were trying to keep the creature back while Nebula, Gamora and Clint took care of the fire skeletons and seemed to be fine with that. Morgan was in the middle of them all, the eight superheroes protecting her. But it couldn’t last long. 

“Tony,” He yelled while casting a shield around the two gods when the creature decided to attack them. Nat was on it a moment later, her electrified batons keeping it back enough for Loki’s dagger to find a way through the orange sand. One of the creature’s arms reached out for the billionaire and he shoots at it, having the creature to grunt in anger and going back with more strength on Thor. Stephen couldn’t really understand what was going on, his focus back on what was happening in front of him, glowing mandalas moving rapidly to keep back what he could fro his teammates. “You have to bring Morgan away from there!”

The girl was clearly trying not to freak out, even if there wasn’t a lot she could do. The moment Stephen reached Clint, Natasha was by her side, the fierce glance in the Black Widow’s eyes giving away that she would protect Stark’s daughter with her own life. 

Tony took off from the ground, avoiding yet another blow from the dusty creature who was having a hard time to keep back the attacks from the gods. Only once he reached a high that would allow him to shoot to the skeletons, Stark spoke again: “I’m opening the way, get ready to run!” 

Everyone stilled, waiting for something that never came because something hit Tony, having him start to fall toward the mass of skeletons against the dusty floor. At that, Thor threw Stormbreaker into the mix, all while Gamora and Natasha ran to reach the billionaire. 

“Strange,” Loki called him, the god’s voice was stained with tiredness, and Stephen could tell with certainty that it was because of the overuse of magic. The red blade of the sword he was holding was starting to tremble as well, revelating that Stephen’s magic too was starting to fade. “We need to end this now before you’re too drained and the portal collapses.”

Stephen nodded, moving back so that the creature was now following him as far as possible from the others. “Go close to the portal, I don’t need someone to cross it. I’ll keep it occupied until you all are on the other side.”

That was Loki told him: the only prize to bring everyone back was Stephen’s soul, and now it was clear what the god meant. He had to stay back, the only way to save everyone else was for him to be trapped in the Soul Dimension, and he was fine with that. 

“And then what?” That was Stark. Stephen turned to look at him, in the middle of the battle, he was looking at him, helmet off, possibly because he had a hard time breathing after the fall, but standing, dark eyes filled with sadness. “Will you let the portal collapse and stay there?”

Stephen found himself questioning how could that man understand him so well. He wanted to tell something, anything, he wanted to tell him that it was the right thing to do, that there was the only way to redeem himself. Or he wanted to lie to him and tell Stark that he would have walked through the portal a moment later, but they just needed to go now. He wanted to tell him a lot of things, but, at that moment one of the skeletons was at Tony’s back and he seemed not to have realized it and the only thing Stephen could say was: “Tony!”

The man turned, an instant too late and then someone shoot. Stephen tried to understand who did it, the only person he knew had guns was Nat and she was on the other side of the improvised battlefield. And then Tony looked at his back, and once Stephen reached him he could see as well who shot. Morgan was there, the gun straight in front of her, hands terribly steady for someone who shot for the first time. And Stephen could see exactly what was going to be the next thought in Tony’s mind. 

“You gave my daughter a gun?” He yelled to Nat while looking at the girl. She was returning his glance and while it was clear that she wasn’t expecting that reaction out of everything, she also was trying to avoid her dad’s eyes. 

“She just used it to save your ass, Stark,” Came from the Black Widow. “So you’re very welcome!” 

“Let’s go out of it, Maguna,” He said, raising his eyes on Stephen, and the Sorcerer could see the ghost of tears in those. He could understand why: the man just wanted to have a normal life with his family. A normal life which didn’t imply his almost seven years old daughter shooting to a fire skeleton in the Soul Dimension where she went to bring him back from apparent death. 

“I can bring you closer to the portal,” Stephen said. 

“See you on the other side, Uncle Stephen,” Morgan said, the moment he started to create the portal for them to walk through. Stephen smiled at her, secretly grateful to the others for keeping the threats away from them for a while longer. 

“Yes, I’ll be waiting for you too, Strange,” Tony said, peremptory. It wasn’t a mystery that the only reason why Stark was accepting to leave the fight was because of Morgan, and Stephen could understand what went unsaid behind the man’s dark eyes. _You have better to cross the damned portal, did you hear me?_

“Clint, Nat,” Stephen called, again, the moment the archer was close to him enough to hear what he was saying. He could see that Barton was out of arrows and started to use his bow like a sword and Nebula and Gamora were now attacking the creature, leaving just Thor and Nat to take down the majority of the skeletons, considering that Loki was too drained to use his magic. Stephen cast a shield to push the incoming threats back from the centre of the battle, leaving the Black Widow the time to breathe again. “Your turn.”

Clint helped Nat on her feet, without letting her hand go even when she was standing. “We are leaving, now! I’m not freeing your hand.”

And, before she could say anything, Clint pushed Natasha toward the portal and back in the land of the living. Stephen watched them walking through both portals before letting the one he opened shortly before the collapse. His eyes went back on the ones who stayed back. Thor was shining, both his weapons moving around him with sparkles and blue lightings. 

Stephen did another spell, feeling his own magic asking for a stop but without daring to do that much. The creature seemed not to notice him for the time he needed to get the two women’s attention and having them cross the portal before he reached the two Asgardian. By now, most of the skeletons were lying dead on the orange dust of the Soul Dimension and the creature was now looking at the Sorcerer Supreme, pushing him away when he approached Loki. 

Stephen’s breath was cut short the moment he hit the ground again, and then he felt it: he couldn’t keep the portal open too much longer. If they wanted to have a chance to exit the Soul Dimension, they needed to do that at that moment. He raised from the dusty ground trying not to faint and controlled once more that Loki and Thor were close to each other before using the remaining of his magic to push the portal toward them, and then he closed his eyes, ready for whatever was going to come.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the cliffhanger, but I'm not really sorry!


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Stephen says back in the Soul Dimension so that he could save everyone else, now he has to pay the prize.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, everyone is officially back even if this chapter is still in the Soul Dimension. Stephen has to face a memory from his past, something that will break him. I love to hurt Stephen and I'm sorry.   
> Then, I've never read the comics, but I know a few things about Donna and I had no idea how she looked like. I googled her, and I discovered that she was in Doctor Strange but the scenes were cut, though the actress chose for the part is Lulu Wilson who acted in a lot of horror movies and my mind just went on its own way. 
> 
> Warnings for this chapter: Violence, panic attacks.

He knew they all had walked through the portal. There was no need to keep it open any longer or, better, he must close it immediately before the creature could reach it and get loose in the world of the living. But Stephen knew it was a one-way ticket. He couldn’t open a new one, once he would have closed the portal. But that was the right thing to do. 

He was only sorry because he couldn’t say his goodbyes. He told everyone he was going to go back, he was fine with losing his soul, with sacrificing himself too, but he wanted to look for one last time in Christine’s eyes, tell Peter and Harley everything was going to be fine, hold Morgan in his arms and call her ‘Smart Girl’, and look at Tony. That was the thing he wanted the most. Speak with Tony one last time. Tell him everything, asking for his forgiveness. He didn’t deserve so much, though. 

He could see, despite the blood and the tears that were running on his face, the portal, his only way out, shining in the distance while the creature was approaching him. It didn’t have any rights over Stephen, and, as Supreme Sorcerer, Strange hoped he could speak with it if the keeper of the Soul Dimension was in the mood to. Which was a huge if, but still, better than don’t even try to save the ones who died because of him. 

He bargained with Dormammu, he could find a way to speak with some sort of multiarmed sandy monster. He just had to find enough energy to keep the portal out. And that was becoming harder and harder with the passing of every second. 

He rose from the dusty ground and looked into the creature’s head, of where he supposed it had its head, it was difficult to say, considering that his enemy seemed to change its shape every second. “I’m not here to fight you.”

“You took what belongs to me,” The creature answered, but the voice didn’t come from it, whole from everywhere around Stephen. He didn’t care. It wasn’t the first creature he faced since he became a Sorcerer and the only reason why was staring at its face was to make sure the guardian got his point as straight as possible. “People can’t simply walk in there and take what they want.”

“There’s nothing simple in how my friends got out from your realm, thanks to you, I think,” Stephen retorted, looking now everywhere else but the portal. He couldn’t say if the creature could tell where it was, but he didn’t want to test his luck either. 

“And yet it’s just me and you, now,” The creature answered, walking closer. What surprised Stephen, though, was that it seemed to become smaller while it did so. “Weird, isn’t it?”

Stephen’s steel-blue eyes tried to map its steps, but he couldn’t: the sand of which the creature seemed to be made mixed with the one of the soil and the only thing he could see, also because he was this close to passing out, was a soft and warm cloud of orange dust, too similar to all he had seen for the previous five years. “You thought you’d lost us both, Victor and me.”

And then the sand was gone, at least from Stephen’s sight field, and he could see the creature. But it wasn’t a creature, it was his sister, Donna. She didn’t look older than the day she died. And dread filled Stephen’s mind. A part of him was repeating that she wasn’t really there, she couldn’t be, that it must be an illusion. Another one, though, couldn’t help but recognize her chestnut wavy hair and her ocean blue eyes. His soul was the prize, that had been what Loki said. Stephen looked at her, and couldn’t help but think that it would have been so easy to walk through the portal with her, bring her back to life. If she really was the guardian of the Soul Dimension, though, that meant he was supposed to take her place. 

For his entire life, Stephen had called himself a rational man, but in front of what was facing at the moment he just couldn’t. And that was the worst thing that could have happened. He looked at the person in front of him and saw his sister and nobody else. “Donna?”

She smiled and nodded. “Loki didn’t tell you, did he?” 

And there was something weird, in her voice, something that Stephen couldn’t remember of, but it was simply too good to see her again to pain attention to that, for now. “I don’t think he knew. He told me the prize to bring them back was my soul, - and god, how could she always make him talk was still a mystery, after all those years. - I suppose he couldn’t tell me, but it’s the only in which I can bring you back, isn’t it?”

“What makes you think I want to go back?” Her lips turned up, there still was something wrong in that, something that didn’t belong to his sister at all. “I don’t want you to go.”

And then he felt something hitting him from his back. Stephen yelled, while pure pain started to spread in his body, his magic was screaming with him and keeping the portal open was becoming even harder. The smile on Donna’s smile, now, was completely evil and the only thing Stephen could do was conjuring a shield to protect himself from another hit that he had no idea from where it might come. By now, Donna’s face was a mixture between the nice girl he remembered and the creature that attacked them before. “Fight!”

It was that, what Loki meant, so, Stephen was going to lose his soul fighting against his sister? He didn’t care. That wasn’t Donna, he couldn’t think that the person he knew was now standing in front of him, trying to kill him, and, at the same time, he couldn’t keep from fighting for his life. 

And so he did. While every hit broke himself more than his enemy. He could see his hands shaking badly while trying to avoid every other attack from her. And then he heard a voice, he didn’t even know if it was real, he didn’t care. 

It was the Ancient One, the echo from the conversation they once had about the person Stephen was trying not to hurt, despite the fact that she was aiming to kill him. She told him that he didn’t fail Donna, he was just finding another way to make her proud.   
He still had lives to save. 

And then he felt something pulling him back, toward the portal, away from the creature that he kept fighting, away from the Soul Dimension, once for all, he hoped.   
Panic filled his mind, the breathing and the beating of his heart were the only things he could hear and he was feeling everyone’s eyes on him and still couldn’t focus on what there was in front of him. He tried to breathe, but the air seemed to fail him just like he failed his sister. He tried to kill her, and Donna tried to kill him and then someone was trying to keep him still, someone was too close and he couldn’t even take a breath. 

“Stay back,” A soft voice said, the entire room seemed to shift back while Stephen tried to focus on the voice and raised his eyes on Christine. She was on her knees in front of him, Tony and Loki by his other side, Thor, Peter, Harley and Nat were looking at him and it was clear that they were scared. The others were a little bit back, but the room was dreadfully silent. “Hey, are you there?”

Stephen nodded, at Christine’s words, not able to speak just yet. It wasn’t weird when he stayed too much out of his body or overused his magic. The problem was that, at that moment, he wasn’t sure that was the reason. Not while Donna’s twisted expression still haunted his mind. “Ok, I’m gonna patch you up. Guys, you can wait downstairs.”

And if Stephen wasn't surprised when everyone but Tony and Loki left the room it wasn’t like they had to know. What really surprised him, though, was the fact that he needed medical assistance. Usually, wounds would have stayed on his astral form. 

“What happened?” He dared to ask, looking at Loki and knowing he was the only one who could provide an answer. And Stephen hated how weak his voice sounded, but he needed to know and needed it now. 

Christine shot him a glance which said a lot about what she thought he needed to know at that moment, but it was clear that she was curious too. “You didn’t cross the portal once Thor and Loki were on this side,” Tony answered, instead of the god, almost yelling. He was this close to doing it and, again, Stephen couldn’t blame him, but he just didn’t expect the genius being angry with him for his intention to stay back. “Loki there had to pull you out because you were going to bleed to death!” 

“Tony,” Christine said, in a whisper. The billionaire turned to look at her. 

“Don’t Tony me! You said he’s a self-sacrificing idiot who was feeling guilty for my little journey in Orangeland. You agreed with me,” Stephen couldn’t really understand, but he was too drained and too tired and, apparently, he had been this close to die so he wasn’t in the mood to reply. 

“Stephen won’t listen to you, now. Just let him rest, ok?” Stephen wanted to tell that he didn’t need to and that Christine didn’t have to speak on his behalf. But he was this close to passing out from exhaustion, and a moment later, when the Cloak wrapped around his shoulders, he knew he was already dozing. He felt the sound of steps against the wooden floor of his bedroom, two pairs, and then Christine spoke again: “Tony?”

“I’ll just wait a little bit,” Stark’s voice came from way closer than Stephen would have imagined, but he wasn’t going to complain, at that moment.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In the next chapter: Stephen and Tony will speak, and it will be bitter-sweet!


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Stephen wakes up and finds someone waiting for him. They speak about being self-sacrificing idiots.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is mostly speaking and realizing things about themselves.  
> Always the usual warnings and I'm so sorry for the long wait for this update, but I've had a busy week. I hope you'll like this *w*

Exhaustion from magic wasn’t something Stephen could store away and pretend it never existed as he did with mundane things such as his need for sleep. He kept gaining and losing conscious all over again for he had no idea how long. It shouldn’t be too much, though, considering that Tony was still there every time he opened his eyes, a soft smile painting his lips and then disappearing when he realized the Sorcerer wasn’t over with his nap. 

It was after a few cycles of this that Stephen was finally awake once for all. Tony was still looking at him like he was expecting for Stephen to go out for the world once again. When he realized he wasn’t going to faint, Stark stood from the chair he was seated on and started to walk back and forward in front of the Sorcerer. 

“You are a fucking idiot,” He said, after a long time of silence. Stephen was staring at him, his head was still a foggy mess and he was trying to put together the pieces. If Tony was bothering him, it meant that he brought them back, didn’t it? Or maybe the one who was yelling at him was Stark’s spirit? He couldn’t say, not at the moment. “You were willing to stay back. When you told my daughter you were going to come back!” 

Stephen blinked his eyes a couple of times, trying to gain back focus on what was in front of him. Apparently, he did really bring back Tony from the Soul Dimension which meant Loki’s plan worked. And memories would have come back in the right order soon. In that instant, though, he was just seeing flashes of the past minutes? hours? he couldn’t tell, in front of his eyes. Fire skeletons and Donna mixed in his mind as well as Peter, Lila and Harley along with Morgan holding a gun. He knew all those images came from different moments, he just couldn’t place them in the right order, yet. 

“You didn’t think, did you?” Tony kept saying. Stephen couldn’t really understand why he was so angry. He was back, and if Stephen stayed in the Soul DImension it was for the best. He needed to pay for his choices. There was the only rational thing to do. Now he could disappear from the Avengers’ life and the best way to do it was staying back. He didn’t care. Loki told him which the prize was, and Stephen was willing to pay it. “Morgan was so scared. Peter was on the verge of tears and Harley was calling for Wong. And Christine told me that you are indeed a fucking idiot! What did you want to do? Bring everyone else and stay there? This seems such a great plain!”

And the point was, Strange knew the other man was right, he knew it because he didn’t think about that, he was so ready to sacrifice himself and he didn’t think about the people who cared for him, mostly because he didn’t even know there was someone who really cared for him. Sure, Peter, Harley and Morgan herself were always around the Sanctum, but he didn’t fool himself. They didn’t enjoy his company, they just stuck around because they were afraid that he would have finally broken. 

“I’m sorry,” He let out, barely a whisper. “I didn’t think…”

“Yes, you didn’t,” Tony cut him short. Stephen’s brain wasn’t rebooting fast enough to match Tony’s frantic rambling, so the only thing he could do was to not at the other man’s words. “You just drowned yourself into Orangeland bringing with you a six-year-old girl. Who shot to a fucking fire skeleton. And then you stayed back and tried to bleed out, for real, not in the fucking ghostly shape. Who would have saved you? You didn’t want for Wong to know, so, tell me, Sorcerer Supreme, who would have brought you back?”

“No-one,” Stephen answered, and before Stark could say anything else, he explained: “I didn’t mean to come back. I don’t even know how Loki brought me back and, honestly, I don’t know if I want to. But I was supposed to stay there, that was the prize for freeing you all. A small one, one I was willing to pay.”

“Your life, over ours,” Tony whispered, and it was like he wasn’t speaking with Stephen but just with himself. “And for ours, I mean me, Nat, Gamora and Loki. People who are, or should I say were?, already dead.”

“Four lives over one,” Strange was tired, he just wanted to sleep for the rest of his life, but it was important that Tony understood. “Two that I personally ended.”

He could see the surprise on Tony’s face and a part of Stephen was astonished. The man was an actual genius and still seemed not to understand the Sorcerer’s words. On the other hand, apparently, Tony didn’t take into consideration the idea that his departure was Strange’s fault. It was painful because the Sorcerer knew the truth and knew that Tony would have understood it sooner than later. “Yours and Nat’s. I put us on the path that led to your death.”

He knew that Tony understood his point better than everyone else. He was speaking with the man who didn’t hesitate, not even once, to put his own life at risk to save the others. And still, he didn’t seem to understand. It was like he was the only one who could have the right to be a self-sacrificing idiot. Stephen couldn’t suffer that level of bullshit, especially when he saw Stark turning his eyes to the ceiling. “Yeah, you pushed Nat down the fucking cliff. And you decided to be a psycho in two different lifetimes.”

“That’s not what -”

“Exactly! We both decided to sacrifice our lives for the greater good. And if you have to blame someone, blame Thanos.”

Tony was again by his side. Not seated on the chair, this time, but standing between it and the bed, and the only thing Stephen wanted was for the man to sit on the soft mattress. But he couldn’t ask this to Stark. So he looked at the wooden wall at the man’s back before speaking again: “It was the right thing to do. If that creature walked out of the portal, it would have been an enormous threat to our reality. If it wanted me to stay there, it was the right thing to do. That’s how my job works.”

Everything went still again for a moment, then Tony spoke again: “Do you think I don’t know? Do you think I’m not the person who keeps telling everyone else that I have to put myself in danger to save them? I value everyone’s life better than mine, so yes, I get it, it was the only way.”

The irony was dripping from Tony’s voice, and Stephen couldn’t stop thinking about the fact that the man who was lecturing him was the same who died because of him. Because he didn’t even try to reach for the Gauntlet. He couldn’t, he knew that if he didn’t keep the water back from the Compound every struggle would have been useless, but he couldn’t help but think that he could have done more. And the only thing he could do, in the end, was telling the truth: “I was trying to make things even. I freed you from the Soul Dimension, that was all I had to do.” 

Pain and sadness took over Stark’s face. “By getting killed?” He asked. “Stephen, the plan was for all of us to go back, all of us includes you. I spent five years of my life trying to understand why you saved me on Titan. Five years trying to understand all I could about you, trying to figure out what you wanted me to do because I couldn’t think about one single reason that could have pushed a fucking powerful wizard to give up his most important weapon for me. I didn’t quite understand, I had to trust you, and despite everything, I did it because even if I couldn’t understand your reasons, I understood a lot about Dr Stephen Strange.” 

Stephen couldn’t really get the point of that conversation. He didn’t even know if he wanted to. He could see a deep sadness in Tony’s eyes and wished to be able to push it away. But he had never been good with those things, and at the moment he was too drained to do anything but think and lay in his bed. “And that’s what I’ve done with your trust.”

“You saved the universe,” Tony said and, at some point during their conversation, his hand had fallen against Stephen’s arm. “What I’m trying to say is that I understand why you thought it was a good an idea to stay back, but never do that again, ok? My daughter apparently adopted you as her favourite Uncle, and while I don’t really want to know which is Rhodey’s opinion on this, I won’t let you disappoint her.”

His lips involuntarily curled up at the mention of Morgan, and Stephen knew he was doing the same. “I won’t.

“I know,” Stephen had no idea how Tony did, but it didn’t matter. They both went silent again, but, this time, it wasn’t filled with the tension and irony from before. There was something that Stephen couldn’t point out, something amicably. It was fine, for him. It was just like on that spaceship when they were working together despite all the arguing. Maybe that was their way to be civil toward each other. 

“You should be downstairs with the others,” Stephen said, after a long time of silence in which they just stared. Again, for once, it wasn’t weird of discomforting. 

“They are fine,” Tony answered. 

Stephen wanted to tell him that he wanted to be alone and to go and stay with Morgan when a voice reached them from the hallway. “So is it true?”

He had heard Colonel James Rhodes angry, upset, snarky, heartbroken and even sappy a couple of times, but, for the first time, he heard him surprised. They both turned to look at the newcomer and the man crossed the room in fast steps, before hugging Tony. “I saw Nat downstairs and Morgan told me Stephen saved you.”

And Stephen felt like he was appropriating of a moment which wasn’t his, despite the men were in his room and he wasn’t in the best position ever to walk out of it. He would have moved to the astral plane and leave them to their privacy if only he knew his magic wouldn’t have failed him. But Tony’s voice reached again his ears, clearly stained with tears, and still playfully. “Yeah, wizard here couldn’t live in a world without my super-funny jokes.” 

Rhodey’s eyes trailed on Stephen, and he could see the hint of a smile appearing on the Colonel’s lips. Nobody could know that he fell in love with Stark on Titan, and yet he knew there were people who suspected. Christine did, Wong pretty much knew. He had no idea about Harley and Peter, but they were smart enough to see his eyes shine every time they spoke about Tony. Probably Rhodes and Carol were aware of that as well, considering that they spent a lot of time together. 

“I’m sure you already annoyed him to death,” He said, before he walked closer Stark, holding him in a bone-crushing hug. “Thank you, Doc.” 

Stephen nodded before Tony seemed to remind something and, dragging Rhodey with him told that he was going to call Christine.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In the next chapter(s): more talking, a confession, Morgan being cute.


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Stephen doesn't want to rest, because he's Stephen, and someone decides to check on the Sanctum.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm sorry for the late update, but a lot of things happened. Anyway, here I am with another update. This isn't much plotty, but raises a problem that I feel like needs to be addressed. Plus, Tony is confused, about MEMES! ~~My DNA can't understand memes, which means that the specific part will probably be wrong, but still)~~

Christine wanted to keep him in his bed, which wasn’t going to happen not even in a million years. Stephen understood that she was worried, he really did, he wasn’t in the best mental place before, and now he wasn’t in the best physical conditions either, but he simply couldn’t just lay there and wait. It wasn’t his style on top of everything and, most important, he needed the confirmation that the four people he brought back from the Soul Dimension were really there. 

That was what convinced his best friend. Christine smiled, helping him climbing down the bed and the stairs. He would have hated that, once, but now he was just glad to have her in his life again. They worked better as friends and Stephen was glad they agreed on that, but he loved the woman so much, she was the best of the friends he could ask for.   
She was the person who could understand him without any word being said. And that was frightening for a man who prided himself with being stoic and stern, but still. 

He leaned closer to her while Christine balanced his weight between her body and the handrail sending a knowing glance to the man. The reprimand for being too light was clear in her hazel eyes, but she said nothing. Food hadn’t been his first concern in a long time and a part of Stephen knew she suspected that. What he didn’t expect for, though, was for Carol to reach his other side when his legs totally failed him missing the next step. 

“I got you, Doc,” She said, a soft smile on her lips, letting the man push himself against her body what was necessary for her and Christine to have him seated on the sofa. Morgan immediately took his side, squeezing him in a hug. She was still wearing the sorcerer robes he magic on her which meant he shouldn’t have been off for the world along. A moment later, she backed off and Tony took Carol’s place in front of him, an inquisitive glance in the deep of his dark eyes.

All the others were still there. Natasha was speaking with Lila and it looked like Clint didn’t let her hand since the moment they walked into the Sanctum. Nebula and Gamora were in a corner of the main room, speaking softly with Rhodey about letting know the Guardians about the old Gamora or just wait for the best moment to try and sort things out. Loki was… Being Loki and sulking in the opposite corner from the alien women. Thor seemed exasperated by something, but Stephen suspected it was just a show. Everyone was back. Stephen nodded mentally, counting, again and again, the people in the too crowded Sanctum. He did it, and yet he knew the prize he had to pay would have followed him forever. He left his sister back, or whatever the creature pretending to be his sister was. 

“Hey,” He heard someone calling and, a moment later, a hand was softly pushed against his shoulder. He raised his eyes from where he was starting to meet Tony’s whiskey brown glance. “Are you there?”

“Yes,” He lied, but it was a white lie, and he could go with those.”I was just wondering about how to deal with this.”

“With this?” Carol asked, and Stephen almost didn’t notice that the Captain, Rhodey and Christine were still around them. 

“Yeah, I mean, Gamora and Loki aren’t public figures, but you and Nat, we can just say that I brought you back from death.”

“Already regretting this?” Tony asked, and while Stephen knew it was just a playful question he couldn’t help but answering immediately:

“I could never,” He said, looking in the depths of the other man’s eyes. He pushed away all the unwanted feelings he had felt for him in the past year because Tony had a family and because he died, but now, now everything was different and he was standing in front of him with billions of unsolved questions in his mind. “It’s just, you can’t go public with that. We had a hell of a time in trying to make everyone not question and look into Kamar-Taj affairs, we can’t just let them know that bring people back from death is possible.”

“And before you start to ask,” Loki popped up from behind Thor’s frame. “It’s not, not everyone can be brought back, only the ones who went to the Soul Dimension. The witch is right, anyway, I can tell they don’t want every old person in the world asking for their significant other.”

“Oh, they already queued outside Steve’s house,” Clint answered, and it was frankly funny seeing the lost expression in Nat and Tony’s eyes after that. Lila and Harley literally fell on the soft carpet because of the laughs, but the best thing ever was the confusing light in Tony’s eyes who was looking at Peter for back-ups. 

“Is this another meme? Do I have to learn it? Please, kid, I’m begging you, I need answers,” He said, and Stephen just wanted to be able to give this man back all the time he had lost saving the universe. He deserved that, but he couldn’t do it. He knew that he knew he was over messing with time the moment he saw all the possible futures, he knew it, and he knew he was falling for the billionaire in the meanwhile. 

“No, it’s just, you’ll have a lot to catch up with, why ruin you all the fun?” Harley answered. It was clear that he wanted to say something more, but, after his words fell in the void, Stephen could perceive the sting of an unknown source of magic and the orange glow of a portal started to sparkle into the Sanctum main room. 

That was enough for everyone to move as fast as they could while Stephen conjured a shield around Morgan and Christine. He was too tired to overuse his magic and protect everyone, and they were the only two people in the room who didn’t have any superpower or a suit capable to protect them. 

He tried to stand so that he could face whatever threat was going to walk out the portal, but everything they met with was Wong’s unamused expression. The man had a raised eyebrow and that was the only modification to his otherwise stoic face. An orange mandala was glowing lazily against his left palm and dissolving the moment he saw who was standing in front of him. 

“Strange?” He asked, looking at the small crowd. “What’s going on?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next update will be somewhen during the next week, I think, probably after the 6th.


	8. Chapter 8

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Wong isn't pleased about Stephen's actions because they could put him in danger, and Stephen and Tony have a moment.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, I'm extremely sorry for the late update. I feel like I'm always excusing myself but I'm busy with stuff related to my uni graduation and the summer is killing me. I'm not made for hot temperatures, not at all. Anyway, this chapter is mostly Stephen and Tony being soft while trying to hide it to the others, but they'll eventually have to speak and sort things out.

Stephen’s eyes tried to focus on the man who just entered his house. He could see the anger in the librarian’s posture, but he knew Wong wasn’t going to voice it in front of all the people that were in the Sanctum.   
All he could do was glaring at him and shook his head while Wong stepped through the portal looking at the scene in front of him. It was clear that he wasn’t approving of what he saw, and yet Stephen couldn’t think about the reason why. “Can I speak with you, Strange?”

The doctor moved, nodding a moment later so that he could raise from the couch he was seated on. Immediately, Tony followed him toward the room where the librarian was headed. 

“Tony, you don’t…”

“If you are in trouble it’s because of me,” The genius said. “I won’t let you alone.”

“Tony,” Stephen let out in a soft whisper. He had no idea what he really wanted to say, but he knew what Wong was going to tell him, and there was another person with whom he wanted to go through that. “You don’t have to.”

“I know. I’m not doing this because I have, I’m doing this because I want to,” Stark flashed him with a smile which wasn’t quite like the ones Stephen had seen him address to the press. It seemed more honest, more sincere. Strange wished to be at the ending side of that smile more and more. Wong, on the other hand, was having a hard time not to roll his eyes at the sky and let the idiots be. And though, he didn’t, because, and Stephen was aware of that, he would have been his pain in the ass forever. But a good pain in the ass. The kind which did it to prevent him to kill himself.

“So, care to explain?” The librarian asked, looking at Stark. Tony moved imperceptibly as if he was trying to shield Stephen from the other’s glance, but it was up to the Sorcerer to speak.

“Thor told me Loki knew a way to bring them back. It worked,” He explained, and while he was looking at the man’s face he could spot something weird in his dark eyes. “Did you know there was a way, Wong?”

“No, because there shouldn’t be one. It should be impossible and the only other Sorcerer who tried, well, I think you know Orpheus.” 

And maybe Stephen should have been angry at the other because if someone tried, and Wong knew it meant that there was a way, but he couldn’t. “Orpheus is a myth,” He said, instead.

“Wait, the poet Orpheus?” Tony sounded confused, just like Stephen’s expression, very likely. “Was him one of yours?”

Wong nodded, but it was clear that he was starting to be annoyed because that wasn’t the point at all. Tony, anyway, didn’t know the librarian enough and was just too curious about the magic world. That was something Strange knew without even knowing how or why. It was one of that acknowledges that he simply acquired. “Who else?”

“I’ll tell you, later,” Stephen said, not being able to keep a soft smile to appear on his lips. “The point is that you knew there was a way, and you didn’t tell me.”

“I didn’t tell you because the only person who tried lost whatever he deemed dear for him, and because, as you said, he was from a myth.” 

Stephen could feel Tony’s eyes on him, the other man was looking at him and the Sorcerer knew that he was aware of the weird warm that he was feeling raising on his cheeks. He shook his head trying not to stare back and going back on his friend “And yet it was a possibility. I would have done it before. In the other room, there’s a young girl who lost her father and who had seen her mother grieving when I could have helped her.”

“What you did was dangerous,” Wong retorted, and that was enough to have Tony step out of the dark place where Stephen had seen him going after he mentioned his death, or, better, Morgan missing him and Pepper suffering for it. 

“You shouldn’t have done it, Stephen. I’m glad to be there, but you stayed back and everyone was worried about what could have happened to you.”

And that was exactly what he didn’t have to say. Because, of course, Wong had no idea about the fact that he spoke with his sister or the creature that took her form in the Soul Dimension. And yet, he couldn’t be angry with the genius. “It was the only way to have you all walk through the portal, and, anyway, it’s not like my life is more worthy than yours.”

Wong didn’t answer to that, he just nodded and walked away, probably back in the living room, but the problem was that now Stark was looking at him with his whiskey brown eyes fixed on his face. There was something hidden in the depths of those eyes. Eyes of which Stephen had dreamed of in the past years, without even realizing it. 

“That’s not true,” The man said, moving closer to him. They were facing each other, now. “The fact that your life is less worthy than mine, or Nat’s, or others'. You are the reason why Thanos had been defeated, and, if you ask me, that makes you the stronger superhero that ever walked on Earth. And I’m sure there are at least two teenagers in the other room who would agree with me. And my daughter, too.” 

Stephen knew he was lying. He knew because he couldn’t believe Tony was sincere. Why should he? They barely knew each other - or better, Tony did consider that Stephen had 14 billions of different futures to know the other man - so how could he know what kind of man the Sorcerer was? He couldn’t, and he didn’t, because, otherwise, he wouldn’t have said those things. 

“Thank you,” He said, instead of all the things he wanted to. “I feel like the conversation with Wong isn’t over, but, for now, we can join the others, if you feel like.”

He didn’t know why, but he extended his trembling hand to take Stark’s. It was weird at first, and he acted out of muscular memory, used to do it with Morgan. What he didn’t expect, though, was Stark to take his hand and squeeze it lightly. Strange knew he was probably doing that because Stark was always ready to help other people to feel better, but, for a moment, he didn’t care. 

Once they reached the main room of the Sanctum, though, they realized that the previous conversation didn’t stop. Thor was saying that Tony and Natasha could go with him in New Asgard, he was headed back to space with the Guardians, and Loki and Gamora could join them if they wanted to, but his kingdom was a safe place where to keep the two Avengers hidden until they were ready to reveal their destiny to the world. And the point was, it actually made sense. 

“And Uncle Stephen can make a portal very fast, so I can go back to mummy and Happy when they want to spend time with me,” Morgan was saying causing everyone to turn and look at her. For an instant, nobody knew what to say, surprised by the implications of Morgan’s words. She seemed to realize that too. “I mean if daddy wants me to live with him.”

And Stephen found himself dragged toward the girl, considering that Tony didn’t let his hand go. “Of course you can, baby. Just, maybe we ask your mommy before? I mean, I should tell Pepper, at least. I know she married Happy, and I’m really glad, but…”

“You are right,” Rhodey nodded, looking at his best friend before nodding at the Sorcerer Supreme. “You can do what she said, right?” 

“Yes, it’s possible, and the best option too,” Wong answered. “If they are fine with it. Natasha, do you have someone you’d like to inform about your well being?”

The Black Widow’s head snapped up, her eyes going immediately to Clint and Lila. “My family already knows,” She whispered. “I suppose you all still speak with Bucky and Sam.” 

“We can let the others know,” Carol said, and that settled everything up for the moment. There were other things that needed to be figured out, Stephen didn’t want to think about that, right now, the only thing that mattered was to feel Tony’s callous hand holding his who let him go just when Nat’s jade eyes fell on them. 

“We can throw a party in New Asgard,” Loki proposed, and it was funny to see him already ordering around. “A big welcome back in the land of the living just for the people we want to let know.”

Which wasn’t exactly a subtle way, but, of course, Tony agreed immediately and also Gamora seemed to be a little bit interested in the idea. That was enough for Stephen to start to open a portal to the place. Only once everyone but Christine who had to go back to the hospital walked through it, Stephen turned to look at Tony. 

“Can I ask you one for Pepper’s?” He said, and there was something in his eyes at which the Sorcerer couldn’t give a name. 

“I’m not the best person to speak with her,” He said, and he didn’t know why he was telling that to Stark. It wasn’t any of the genius’s concern and, still, the Doctor didn’t want to lie to him. Tony deserved to know. “We… Didn’t get along too well, this year. She blamed me, I blamed me, and her, and the world. But I’ll drop you by if you want to speak with her now. And I’ll leave the portal open so that you can come back once you’re finished.”

There was something more they should have spoken about, but, for now, Stephen simply let the portal open and watched as Tony walked in it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next chapter: New Asgard vibes and, possibly, the conversation TM   
> I just don't know when the next update will be.


	9. Chapter 9

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> New Asgard Interlude Part I  
> Nat notices something, and she says something else.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yeah, I'm still working at this. Sorry for the long wait, life has been extremely frantic since I graduated from University this summer. I went to Oxford for the entire month of August and then came back, started to fill applications for my master, found a job and started the master. Long story short, the job is draining my inspiration and my will to do anything which isn't disappearing into my bedroom as soon as I come back home.  
> I kinda forced myself on writing at least ONE new chapter considering that I started this one in July so I hope you will like it. Some things happen (like Morgan on Val's Pegasus) and more important things are left unsaid. 
> 
> **Chapter warning:** lowkey NOT Pepper friendly. Just like the other chapter, this is Stephen thinking and everyone who went this far in this fic already understood Stephen and Pepper aren't in good terms.

Stephen had no idea what to expect from New Asgard, but probably, it wasn’t what he met the moment he stepped through the portal, letting it open for Tony to reach them once he was done with his ex-wife. Morgan didn’t want to leave Peter and Harley, and the Sorcerer was sure that it was for the better, especially if things between Stark and Pepper went south. And it wasn’t like Strange was expecting something different, he thought bitterly. Maybe he was unfair to the woman, but they were on two different planes, they just seemed not to be able to coexist and even if, at first, she reminded Stephen of Christine, it didn’t take longer than ten minutes alone with Pepper Potts to understand she was nothing like his best friend. 

When the people he was with came out from the shining portal, though, a huge crowd reached them and that was enough for Strange to cast those thoughts away, focusing on the unexpected mixture of humans and aliens in front of him. For sure, he didn’t wait for the welcome committee. It was weird. The Asgardians were people that come out from Norse mythology, fierce warriors and gods, and yet the ones who gathered them didn’t give that kind of vibes. They were boarded, for sure, and they looked fierce and frightening, but neither of them tried to attack them as if they were waiting for new guests. Friendly was the best world Stephen could think about. He didn’t dislike that, nothing at all. 

“Thor!” A woman called. There was almost disbelief, in her voice, which was weird because everyone knew that the god of thunder left with the Guardians. But even the god seemed to be surprised by the presence of the woman, and Strange decided not to inquire further. He couldn’t help, though, but hear the woman’s name when the god of thunder yelled that he thought his most fierce companion in battle, the brave lady Sif perished while Hela was in power. Sif, he supposed that was the woman’s name, laughed heart warmed at that and the two disappeared in a small crowd. 

He could feel Nat’s eyes on him, so decided to not follow the two, especially when he saw Valkyrie join them, proving that whoever that woman was wasn’t the queen of New Asgard, and approached the Black Widow. 

“Tony has always spoken highly of you,” She said, the moment he reached her letting her green eyes ran on everyone as if she was trying to understand if some new threat could appear out of thin air. Barton was introducing Lila to someone, Gamora and Nebula reached Quill and his crew. Rhodey was at the phone while Carol was speaking with Valkyrie, Loki and Wong were walking toward some other people, leaving the two of them alone. “He was surprised someone would sacrifice half of the universe for his life. Seeing how that ended, I’m sure he’s not anymore.”

Strange looked at the woman for an instant or so, trying to understand what she really meant, and he found it extremely difficult. The spy seemed impossible to read and while he knew he couldn’t expect anything different, Stephen wished to be able to do it, just to find a way to reply to her words. “I’m not judging here, I don’t even know the entire story, but he thought he deserved to die. He tried not to, but sacrificing half of the universe for him… it’s not something he could understand. He doesn’t consider himself worthy enough.”

Stephen nodded, and he didn’t even know why. He knew his expression was probably betraying him, but he didn’t care. “He is.” He answered, just along with Natasha. 

“Indeed,” the woman continued, “He’s one of my best friends. I want him to be happy.”

She walked past him, moving faster to reach back Clint and the Asgardians, leaving Stephen to his surprised and wordless expression. He had no idea of what just happened. He had no idea of how he could answer to her, and he didn’t even know if Natasha walking away was a good way to finish that conversation, but it wasn’t like he had something to say. He wanted Tony to be happy too because after looking in fourteen million futures he not only fell hard for the man but started to see a familiar scheme in his behaviour. Something he knew far too well, something he has done in the past. Something he still did. 

A small yell in pure joy brought him back from his memories and let Stephen focus back on the people who were with him at that moment. Just to find himself face to face with the dreadful sight of Morgan riding a Pegasus. Harley was by her side, fully suited up in his Iron Lad armour but for the helmet, ready to take off in the eventuality in which the winged horse decided to fly, and still Stephen couldn’t help but turned to the Cloak telling the relic to wrap itself around the young Stark girl while he moved closer to reach the group. 

That was the moment when Tony Stark decided to cross the Portal which led to New Asgard. The first thing his eyes looked for were his children, and he tried to poorly hide the paleness in seeing Harley suited up and Morgan engulfed in the Cloak’s embrace. It lasted a second, but enough for Stephen to notice, and then the press conference smile was back, fake and empty as it always was when Tony was trying to hide something. Stephen couldn’t believe himself when he realized that he knew the man far more than he thought, and way more than Tony could tell to know him. And yet, Natasha told him Tony spoke highly of the man who put him on a path that led to his death.  
He shook his head, letting the portal collapse and then moved closer to Stark. 

“I’m sorry,” He whispered. He didn’t need to tell why. 

“Happy is a good man,” Tony answered, running a hand in his hair. “I should have seen that since Monaco, to be honest, but it’s for the best, isn’t it? He won’t risk his life… Like, he told me he’d like to work for me again, not that I need a bodyguard, but, you know… It’s unfair. I told him that much. I can’t ask him to risk his family for me, which, according to Pepper is crazy and… If we keep this secret, I can’t ask for custody and Morgan…” 

Stephen didn’t know what to say. He couldn’t even tell if Tony was speaking with him or if he acknowledge Strange’s presence at all, but he stayed there, a hand resting on the man’s shoulder as if trying to provide some kind of comfort. “I suppose she told you, but I’m not Mrs Potts’s favourite human being. For what is worth, Happy helped me, and I think he would do everything for you. And you’ll fix the things for Morgan. Just, not thinking for now, ok? It’s time to celebrate.”

Tony smiled, at that, and, for a second, it was a real smile, sad and not bright, but real, so different from the standard one he was used to wearing in front of a crowd. “Is my daughter on a Pegasus part of the celebration?”

“I think that’s just her being the most stubborn adorable kid who ever walked this Earth,” Stephen tried to joke back, and Stark’s smile became a little bit brighter. 

“You don’t know me, Stranger.” And if Stephen believed to hear a hidden “yet” in Tony’s words, it wasn’t like the other man needed to know.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don't know when the next update will be, but it will arrive, I can promise you that much.


	10. Chapter 10

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Stephen and Tony have a moment and they open with each other.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

>  **CHAPTER WARNINGS:** depression, suicidal thoughts, panic attack. 
> 
> So, sort of a fast update (at least for my standards), even if I put myself in a corner and I don't really know either how or when I'll be able to continue this. I just had to clarify a couple of things before going back to the real plot but, somehow, it became heavier than originally planned and now I don't really know. Anyway, I'm not abandoning this fic, even if probably I won't update it until next year around the end of January or something. 
> 
> Notes updated with the new warnings.

“And then Uncle Stephen looked at Uncle Wong and asked if he brought anyone. And Uncle Wong wasn’t pleased about that, but it’s not like he cared a lot cause he saw daddy and he knew he had to tell him something,” Morgan chewed her lower lip, tongue barely stuck out and eyes half-closed in concentration while she was trying to remember all the details of a story she has always been told in a very edulcorated version. They sort of camped in one of New Asgard taverns - for being located on a small fiord, it had a lot of taverns, but Stephen suspected that Thor’s passion for beer was more a cultural thing than everything - and the younger Stark was entertaining Natasha and some of the Asgardians with the story of the final battle. Sometimes, Harley or Lila popped up, adding details she didn’t know about or knew differently. Nobody who has been there, fighting on the Compound field, ever tried to correct them, though. 

Stephen could understand why, or, better, he knew why he wasn’t. They didn’t see it, they couldn’t really understand and all they knew was the heroic tale of how Tony, Thor and Steve stood in front of the Mad Titan. They didn’t know about how it was pretty clear that they didn’t stand a chance, not even Thor, an actual god. They didn’t know about the certainty of them all to be as good as doom. They knew about Sam flying through a portal and the Dusted ones coming back. They didn’t know that Stephen exposed his own entire order, and they didn’t know the pain of knowing that the only winning chance they had would provoke so much pain. 

They knew they were heroes. That was the version they decided to show and tell to the world because that was what the world needed. But it was a blunt lie, and Stephen could tell that Natasha knew that much. He couldn’t tell what the Asgardians were thinking about it, but he somehow could guess that they shared her knowledge. But, again, it was a happy occasion, so nobody told anything, not even Drax and Nebula that were evidently fighting against their deepest instincts and let the kids tell their own story. 

“Stephen was keeping the entire Hudson from collapsing on the battlefield,” Harley’s voice reached him. “And then Tony looked at him, I don’t even know how they could be so much in sync, but they were and he kept his magic going just with one hand, which is impressive. Anyway, he raised one finger, and Tony knew what it meant. Thanos was this close to snap again…”

“He said that he was inevitable,” Lila continued and that was the moment when a spike of pain went through his right hand. A pain which had nothing to do with his always aching nerves. Tony, by his side, was squeezing his hand and Stephen could see his whiskey brown eyes turning completely blank, his glance lost in the horizon. It didn’t need a genius to understand what’s going on in his mind.

“Tony,” He whispered, not trying to bring him back, but just to let him know he wasn’t alone. That received no answers, so the sorcerer decided to stand and half-dragged a way too pliant genius outside the tavern. “Tony - he repeated, this time letting his left hand cup Stark’s cheek. - I need you to breathe. Can you do this for me? We are in New Asgard, everyone is safe, Thanos died.”

Tony nodded just once, trying to let air enter his lungs at best as he could. It was going to be a long process, Stephen could already tell that much, but he wasn’t planning on letting the man’s hand or his side sooner than it was over. After a moment, Stark’s shaking became even more evident, not just in his hands but in his entire body and, if it wasn’t for Stephen who caught him a moment before, he would have fallen on the ground. 

“I’m sorry,” was everything he managed to tell. “I’m… I’m so sorry…”

Stephen smiled, helping Tony to stand again and holding him as still as he could, waiting for his legs to stop shaking so that they could support Stark’s weight. “You don’t have to be.”

The smile Tony returned him was sad and too forced for Stephen to like it, but he felt like it was meaningful nonetheless. “I feel like I turned your life into a living mess since you portaled into mine, all these years ago.”

Strange shook his head, his smile smugger, and somehow glad of the change in conversation. “Believe me or not, but my life was way messier before I discovered the Mystic Arts,” He had no idea why he was being honest with him. That part of his life was something only Christine knew about, and just because she has been there to witness his downfall, though he could feel a sort of familiarity with the billionaire standing in front of him, something that made him believe he could trust Stark. “These, actually, gave me a porpoise, something bigger…”

“Something that was worth fighting for.” Tony finished for him, eyes fixed on something that wasn’t there. “Thank you. Not only for the obvious ‘give me a second chance’ bit, but… Happy told me, and I could see it, you took the kids in, and… you owe them nothing, but you still did it. I… when we will sort things out… Pepper wants to leave SI, I should find a way to take them back without letting everyone know that I’m alive but, once I’ve done this… everything you’ll need, just let me know.”

“You should give something to them, not to me,” Stephen whispered. Apparently, that was the day he swallowed his pride and told Stark nothing but the truth. He didn’t really want to, but, apparently, his brain was working on his own, that night. “They save me more than I could have done. You saw right through me: I know I’m responsible for what happened to the Compound and… if there was a way to trade my life with yours, or any way to make the guilt more sufferable… Peter saved me, and he brought Harley into my life, and then Morgan started to hang around the Sanctum too and I knew that I couldn’t just… Not after what I’ve done.”

A callous hand went to Stephen’s arm, holding him there and together at the same time. “Hey,” a soft smile and big whiskey brown eyes were what Stephen met. “I get what you mean, I’ve been there, and, well, I know what you mean.”

They both nodded, maybe considering what was going on, or trying to understand which was the better thing to do. Stephen knew that admitting what he did mean to show his weaknesses to the man who was standing in front of him, but, somehow, he didn’t feel the weight of that one of his actions. They just stood there, in silence, but it wasn’t like they needed any other words. They were just taking in all the implications of what they confessed. And it was nice. For once, since the last battle against Thanos, the silence wasn’t oppressing Stephen. 

He had no idea how long they stayed there, eyes fixed on the darkening sky, but, at some point, Tony moved so that he was facing Stephen and not by his side, and then he spoke: “We should go inside. Nat and I still have to ask the Queen if we can stay there for a while and everyone else will probably want to go back to New York.”

Stephen nodded and just followed Stark inside the tavern once again. Whichever was the argument in the time being, it seemed to be more trivial than the one on which Tony and Stephen left, which was good. The Sorcerer let his eyes to ran on the people who were still there: most of the Asgardians and the other aliens left, leaving just a few of them in the main hall which was now populated only by avengers and friends, the woman who greeted Thor and Val. The moment when she saw Tony, the Queen of New Agards raised from the boot she was seated on and walked closer to the genius. 

“Thor was telling me you and Mrs Romanoff would like to stay there until it’s the best moment to reveal everyone you are still alive,” She said, a playful smile on her full lips. “As I told my friend and Natasha, I’d really like to have two of this world heroes in my lands. I’ll show you some rooms you can use. And you all can stay for the night, it’s always a pleasure to meet with battlefield companions.”

Everyone seemed to agree with that, with the only exception being Harley who had to go back to MIT as soon as the sun will have raised, and Clint and Lila, who couldn’t really stay considering that Laura didn’t know where they were. Stephen opened a portal for them all to the Sanctum and was waiting to cross it when Tony’s voice stopped him; “Are you staying, Wizard? You promised me to disclosure whom between the great men of the past was part of your cult.”

“And that’s why I am leaving,” Stephen snarked back, a smirk on his face. “The Sanctum can’t stay unguarded for so long.”

“I can guard the Sanctum, Stephen,” Wong interrupted, almost catching Strange by surprise. He knew the man had more important things to do in Kamar-Taj, his role not being to baby-sit Stephen or the New York Sanctum. “You can stay if you want to.”

And without even waiting for an answer, he hurried the leaving ones into the portal and closed it at his back. “Wow, that was fast. So, Napoleon?”

Stephen rolled his eyes at the ceiling and knew that was going to be the longest night in his entire life.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As always, if you liked this chapter, let me know! See you in my next update and/or new fic. (juicy things to come if my muse doesn't fail me).


	11. Chapter 11

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Stephen gets to know Nat a little bit more, and Tony misunderstands the entire thing

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Another almost plot-less chapter, and another sort of fast update. I have no idea where this story will go, but we are getting there. I think whoever knows me is aware of the fact that I love Nat and I love the idea of her having some sort of friendship/relationship with Stephen and this is the reason why this chapter exists.

To wake up with the Tony Stark asleep by his side was probably one of Stephen’s dreams and he would have considered himself pretty satisfied if only he didn’t remember the night before. It wasn’t the lack of sex between them, Stephen didn’t care about that, to make the view of the billionaire curled up against the Sorcerer’s side, while the memories from the night before, specifically about their conversation outside the tavern.  
Once Val showed them the rooms they could use, Tony was already pestering him about who has been a Sorcerer in the past, stopping just for a while to tell Morgan a good-night story and check that Peter was in the room the Queen of New Asgard gave to him and not out Spider-Man-ning around Norway. But only once-famous people’s names started to run short and Stark’s eyes started to flutter closer he asked him if he meant for real, and Stephen had to tell the truth. 

The outcome hasn’t been nice and the man clung on the Sorcerer as to be sure he didn’t disappear into the night. Which was why, instead of pride, he was feeling almost too exposed in front of the sleeping genius. He shook his head, disentangling himself from Tony’s hold which was weaker thanks to the fact that the man was sleeping and trailed off toward what he thought was the common area. 

He knew it must be early in the morning and wasn’t too surprised to find that the huge hall was almost empty, only a lingering smell of freshly brewed coffee to fill the room giving out to Stephen that he wasn’t alone. It somehow reminded Strange of the main hall in Kamar-Taj, even if this one was way different. It had the same wooden covered walls, but the big tables and high chairs made the room resemble more the great hall of some medieval castle than a temple in Nepal. What seemed extremely off, though, was the isle counter in the middle of it, accompanied by the most modern kitchen Stephen has ever seen. He decided not to question his guests’ taste in internal design and followed the smell of coffee, surprised to see who was the person already awake. 

Natasha Romanoff turned to look at him, a cup of coffee in her hands and dishevelled hair, she didn’t look every bit the dangerous assassin he knew she was. She wasn’t wearing her suit, opting for some jogging pants and what seemed to be a t-shirt which was too long on her. Stephen would have sworn that there was a Hawkeye symbol on it but couldn’t exactly tell from how she folded it onto itself so that it fit her form better. Without her boots, Stephen could see that she wasn’t as high as she appeared usually and yet he knew she could kill him even before he beat his eyes. She was smiling at him, though, and a moment later jumped on the counter as if she didn’t have a single problem in the world. 

“Doctor,” She said that easy smile which was the weirdest thing he has ever seen on her face. It was like seeing a completely different face of someone you’ve known for years, but Stephen knew nothing about the woman in front of him if not from the news which, surprisingly, made it even odder. “There’s still coffee. It’ll probably get cold if you don’t drink it.”

Stephen nodded, moving toward the coffee machine and pouring a cup from himself. “I was used to wake up very early and… I guessed life changed, even after Tony brought everything back to normal.”

“You mean between the Avengers?” He had no idea what to say and decided for what seemed to be the best option. She was right, of course, and probably the few people who knew it perfectly were Bruce, Rhodey and Clint, the ones who have always been there and went through every battle. 

“Not only, but yes. I was thinking about it, you know, when I wake up at the Compound, Steve was there, we went for a run, and then we trained a bit before everyone else was out of bed, or in Tony’s case, his lab. And now… The Compound is gone, Steve is an eighty-something-year-old man. The people I’ve known… I don’t even know. It’s…”

“Weird to go back,” Stephen finished for her. “I can understand you, and not because I got dusted… It’s, after my incident, I pushed everyone back, found Kamar-Taj, learned the Mystic Arts. And then I got back to the hospital because I needed help. It was the same place, the same people, but everything was so... meaningless…”

“The woman who was at the Sanctum?” Natasha asked, bringing her cup over her mouth and casting her eyes down to the rim of it. 

Stephen shook his head, knowing she couldn’t see him, and then answered: “Everything but her. I don’t love her as I used to, but when I came back, and I saw Christine, she was the only thing who never changed. I knew I wanted her to be in my life. She was home, in a way she probably has never been.”

“I’m worried Clint won’t ever feel that way anymore,” Her voice was almost broken, and Stephen knew that if he would have looked at her, he was going to meet jade glossy eyes. That was why he didn’t. He didn’t know her enough and what he did know pushed him not to look at Natasha breaking in front of him. “And if he doesn’t, then nothing will. I hoped, maybe falling back into the routine would help. But I don’t even know which is the routine anymore.”

“You just need time,” He said, instead, still looking at his almost empty cup of coffee. “If Barton wasn’t that person, your Christine, you wouldn’t be there. While for the routine, if you ever need someone to kick their asses, I’m here. It’s not like I usually sleep more than I did today, jet-lag and everything; and magic is mostly defensive spells, which is why we train hard on hand-to-hand combat.”

“Really?” 

Stephen smiled, sincerely for once. “Really.” 

That was how he ended up sparring with the Black Widow in another room which looked like a sort of arena outside the house where their rooms were. The place was almost empty, which made sense considering that most of the Asgardians seemed to be people who loved to sleep until late if their night habits were something to go with but they weren’t alone. 

Gamora and Quill were fighting slash exchanging PDA (Stephen couldn’t tell: Star-Lord had his back pushed against the training mattress Gamora had pushed him on while the alien woman was brushing her knee between his legs) in a corner while the woman who Thor called Sif was sparring with Loki at the opposite side of the arena. Val was taking pictures of the terrible show Loki was making of himself. 

“I thought you were a powerful Sorcerer,” Stephen greeted the god right at the moment when the woman turned on herself and hit him behind his neck with her sword. Stephen could tell that a hit like that would likely kill every human or alien he had ever met but did nothing to Loki who just glared at him. 

“Be my guest: Lady Sif is one of the strongest warriors of all Asgard, that’s why the Queen chose her for her personal guard,” He said, with a smirk.

“As Queen, I can remind you that I chose her for my personal guard because she beat you, twice, while you tried to conquer Earth. And I chose her to be my wife because she’s hot as fuck,” Valkyrie said, winking at Stephen and Natasha. 

“Slow down here,” Sif answered, green eyes back to the sky. “I said no, I don’t want to be a trophy wife.”

“I’d make a wonderful trophy wife,” Loki stated, matterley of fact. Stephen wasn’t even surprised that he was probably right. “What are you doing here, poor excuse of a Sorcerer?”

“This poor excuse of a Sorcerer is the reason why your sorry ass is still on this Earth,” The Sorcerer was surprised that Natasha raised in his behalf, but had ages of practice to hide it at best. “And he’s here ‘cause I’m gonna kick his ass.”

And with that, she walked away followed by a small smile from Strange who trailed to her back. 

They started almost immediately moving around the centre of the arena/gym exchanging in the first minutes just some rapid blows, not meant to hit the target but just studying the adversary. Stephen realized after these first minutes that he forgot his gloves and was giving a clear sight of his greatest weakness. And yet, once the Black Widow started to increase the rhythm, he noticed she was doing everything in her power to avoid his hands. It was comforting, it was like he has been training with her for his entire life. Natasha was fast and elastic, capable to avoid and stop every one of Stephen’s hits and answer back to each of them.   
He also registered that they were moving around a lot, both trying to avoid to give their back to the wall, shifting around and turning on themselves. A couple of times, Stephen also managed to push her down, just for the spy to go back to a standing position with an elegant move.

It took almost an hour and a half to them for Stephen to be in a similar position to the one they found Star-Lord and while Stephen wasn’t usually attracted by mere appearances he had to admit that having a panting Black Widow over him was a once in the life experience. She smiled, rolling over a moment later and extending a hand to help him up. “You almost beat me, that’s impressive.”

“And yet Merlin is the one who ended up in dust,” a voice they both knew well enough interrupted. 

“We’ve known each other for more than fifteen years and you never managed to ground me, Stark.” 

“It’s the tights thing: is distracting!” Natasha smiled, tilting her head to one side as if she was studying Tony for a while. Whatever she saw in the other man’s eyes made her smile became a little bit brighter. 

“Well, it’s been a pleasure, Doc. See for another sparring session soon?” She didn’t wait for an answer, though, and disappeared faster than if she had used a portal. 

“Sorry, I didn’t mean to interrupt,” Tony said, the moment she was gone back in the main building. “And, well, she’s the entire deal: hot, smart, funny, and can kick your ass either in and out of bed, if you are into it.”

Stephen felt one of his eyebrows rising almost out of habit. He had no idea of what Tony meant with that sentence and the billionaire realized it almost immediately. He indicated the place where the spy has just disappeared. “I’m trying to say… Things went south between us, but she’s a friend, she helped me in one of the worst moments in my life, and I’d like to consider you a friend so... I know neither of you needs my permission, but she loves tulips and cheese if you need intel for a date.” 

And well, Stephen really wanted to laugh at Tony’s face. He wanted to tell him that no, he didn’t need to know these things about Natasha, that he wasn’t interested in her in that way, but then it would have mean to confess the genius he was the person Stephen wanted to bring out for a date. So he decided to focus on another bit of Tony’s words. “I’d like to have the honour of being your friend, Stark,” He said, smiling almost sadly. “But I’m not sure I deserve that much after what happened during the battle against Thanos.”

Tony moved closer, his left hand reaching for Stephen’s right one. “Hey, I’ve already told you: not your fault. You are a good person, Stephen Strange, one of the best I’ve ever met.” 

“Thank you,” Strange whispered. 

“No, thank you. For taking care of Harley, Peter and Morgan, for bringing me back, and for the last night.” Stephen knew it wasn’t only because now the mechanic knew Cleopatra had been a Sorceress but decided not to voice that thought. “I don’t want to keep you here in New Asgard, let’s go back, wake up whoever has to leave, which includes my best friend, apparently, and then you’ll be Tony-free.”

He moved toward the main building and, just like Stephen did at the Sanctum, Tony didn’t let go of his hand. Stephen wanted to tell him that he didn’t want to be Tony-free, but he knew what the other man meant and, most of all, knew which and where his responsibilities and duties stood. He was only lucky that Stark was at portal reach.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As always, kudos and comments are extremely appreciated.   
> Still no idea when the next update will be, but very likely it'll come in the New Year.

**Author's Note:**

> Do you like this? Leave kudos and comments!  
> Want to say hello? Find me @ ironstrange-is-the-endgame on Tumblr


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